Which to use
“élu” and “exclu” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,549
- “élu” frequency rank
- #6,393
- “exclu” frequency rank
- 7942
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | élu | exclu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui a été élu. | À qui l’on interdit. |
Where the eye mixes élu and exclu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: élu vs exclu
A purely visual mix-up. élu (\e.ly\) and exclu (\ɛks.kly\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7942, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
élu is recorded at frequency rank #1,549, classified as anadj, pronounced \e.ly\. exclu is at rank #6,393, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ɛks.kly\.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 7942, this pair ranks #421,641 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of élu vs exclu
Shared letters: lu. Private to "élu": é. Private to "exclu": cex.
"élu" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "exclu" · 5 letters · shape VCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- exclu ← ecxlu · excclu · excllu · excul · exlcu · exxclu · xeclu
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "élu" and "exclu" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "élu" or "exclu"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "élu" and "exclu" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "élu" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "exclu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #421,641 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "élu" and "exclu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "élu vs EPO". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #421,641 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.